Kitz Forum
Announcements => News Articles => Topic started by: sevenlayermuddle on October 17, 2019, 12:23:08 PM
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Oops
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-50080586
Fear not, even as an Apple devotee, I’m not gloating. The root login bug on Mac OS Mojave, that allowed root login without a password, must rival this one. :D
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This was rather hilarious. I can't unlock my S10 WITH my thumb, but if I put a gel screen protector on then anyone could have, lol.
How this malfunction actually worked rather suggests a HUGE flaw in how its detecting fingerprints in the first place. How can you possibly fool it so that ANY worked? How can we trust the fix (which has now rolled out) doesn't have other flaws?
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I have always used a passcode on my Samsung phones despite the latest one having a fingerprint reader, this is so my wife can access it in an emergency without having to use my fingerprint! Sounds like I should not have bothered!
Stuart
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Researching the issue, it’s not as bad as the impression I was left with after reading the article on BBC, who got it from The Sun.
The actual problem seems to be that if you apply a screen protector before recording your fingerprint, then pattern of the screen protector itself gets recorded as if it were a fingerprint. Subsequently when another person touches, if the screen protector is still there, the phone unlocks.
So although it’s an embarrassing bug, it doesn’t necessarily mean somebody else can just take somebody else’s phone, stick on a screen protector and unlock it. Presumably, the only precaution needed is to make sure you record your fingerprint with the screen *naked?
*Stress, that’s the screen naked, not the user.
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Interesting. The glass screen protector for my Nokia 6 does not cover the finger print detector (there's a cut out in the glass). The Motorola G7 Power* we recently bought for my wife has the finger print detector on the back.
@Broadstairs On both phones you can add multiple fingerprints (very useful if you cut your finger and have to put a plaster on it!) which I think would be the same on all makes, so there's no reason for that stopping your wife accessing your phone.
* The battery life on this is phenomenal which is why she picked that phone.
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@Broadstairs On both phones you can add multiple fingerprints (very useful if you cut your finger and have to put a plaster on it!) which I think would be the same on all makes, so there's no reason for that stopping your wife accessing your phone.
Well it's a great idea except my wife hates technology so I've as much chance of getting her finger print as the Klingon's winning the election! :lol:
Stuart
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as the Klingon's winning the election! :lol:
Are they fielding candidates? I’ve yet to warm to any of the usual ones.
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Well it's a great idea except my wife hates technology so I've as much chance of getting her finger print as the Klingon's winning the election! :lol:
Stuart
In my experience with Android even if you use a finger print you still need to have a pin number as a backup.
Both my wife's and my phone are setup with our own finger prints, but we use the pin number to access each others phones.